Comments on: The Squirrel Instinct – Can it be Retrained?

By: Diogo

Diogo — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 14:14:23 +0000

Hi!
Let me say this article is very well written and is truly insightful.
Although, I think I need further advice!
My dog is only obsessive about one thing: my neighbor’s cat. And I believe she only got to that point because the cat is deaf and doesn’t give a s**t about her, no matter how much she barks! They had another cat that was very friendly and they used to interact through the fence.
Now, the neighbor’s cat is very independent and usually goes around our yard (over walls etc). The minute my dog spots her, she goes nuts. Completely fixated.
I’ve tried some things such as the touching,”neck claw”, noises to distract her..

Any advice is appreciated 🙂
Thanks!

By: miss cellany

miss cellany — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 22:00:07 +0000

In reply to Nicco.

I think usually to stop the dog escaping but could be used to “correct” the dog too if it’s tight enough (not that I agree with the “correction” based method of training).

I just use a vest type harness for my dog (similar to what police dogs wear) – she can escape collars, halters and most strap type harnesses with ease (though never tried a martingale but since using a harness have no intention of going back to collars). The harness I use is slightly padded and has reflective strips so it’s comfortable and good for night walks too (it also looks stylish!).

By: Mikell Sewell

Mikell Sewell — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 05:14:31 +0000

In reply to Nicco. The Buddy Belt works great, Stops all pressure on the neck.

By: shibashake

shibashake — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:15:58 +0000

In reply to Mary Abercrombie.

Hello Mary,

I don’t have any cats, so I don’t have first hand experience with cat training at home.

Here is a very good discussion on how to train a dog to get along with cats. It is a discussion on Shiba Inus, in particular, but Shibas also have high prey drive and are even more stubborn than Sibes. 😀
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/7120/problem-with-cats/p1#Comment_125511

Here is a good article from the ASPCA on how to introduce a dog to a cat.

By: Mary Abercrombie

Mary Abercrombie — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:21:41 +0000

I adopted a Siberian husky who was surrendered to a vet @ 9 mos. with a severely broken leg after being hit by a car. I told the rescue group I would be interested in adtopting him IF he would be ok around my 3 cats so when he was recuperating from surgery to fix his leg, the vet brought in his own cat and reported Nikko was “indifferent”. However, now that he’s living with me and fully recovered, Nikko’s true high prey drive has come out! He also came to me with bit-time mouthing issues… it’s next to impossible to put a collar or harness on him without him putting his teeth on my hands & arms despite correction and/or reward. He also likes to jump on me and tries to grab my clothes and upper arms. I am not tall or strong, but I would really like to train Nikko so I can keep him. The advice on your website is great, and I will start giving your methods a try immediately. I would like to know if you think a Sibe with a high prey drive can be trained to co-exist with cats. If so, can you give me specific instructions on how to train Nikko not to “hunt” them. Thanks!

By: shibashake

shibashake — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:09:39 +0000

In reply to Khairul. Yeah, my dogs get excited when my partner comes home as well. What helps is to make coming home a calm affair, and only give the dogs attention after they have calmed down. When they jump, he no-marks them (Ack-ack), folds up his arms, and turns away. If they bite on clothes, then they go to timeout. However, if they control their jumping, then they get attention and affection. This teaches them that -

not jumping = more attention,
jumping = get ignored, and
biting = no attention, no freedom.

Here is a bit more on our experiences with jumping. Hugs to Anthony!

By: Khairul

Khairul — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:50:12 +0000

We rescued a rottie mix about 1 month ago and he’s ~1 years old. He is a good dog and we can’t believe how lucky we are. I’ve noticed 3 issues when we walk outside. Squirrels, other dogs and not looking at me on the walks. Squirrels are just a prey instinct issue but I am strong enough to hold him away and I keep him on a short leash on our walks anyway. He is great with other dogs but he whines and tries to head into the direction of the other dogs when he sees them. Once he gets to say hello, he is totally fine. He is so intense when we are out walking, although he does sit at the curb when I pull the lead. He is annoyed but the ocasional sound of the skate board too.

But the big problem now is him ‘over-playing’ with my hubby when he gets home from work. He has bitten bite and nipped my hubby once until blood comes out and his shirt got ripped! This is a new development. I stay at home and spend most of my time with him. The dog, Anthony, obeys me in the house very well. My hubby is really upset and I think he is depressed about this. The behaviour will stop eventually but it would stop earlier if I intervened from the start. My hubby needs to get this straight because I will not be home all the time to help!

Do you have any ideas to suggest? We love this dog and his is 65 lb now.

By: Kim L.

Kim L. — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 21:29:26 +0000

Yes, very good point. For some aggressive dogs, the city environment is just WRONG, and it’s hard to manage the problems there. But if an aggressive dog were put in a less densely populated area with his own large-ish private back yard, he and the owners could conceivably get along pretty well. So that would involve resources: having the opportunity and money to move to a house in the suburbs. All sorts of other strategies more focused on training might involve resources, too. The more I hang around with dogs, however, the more it seems to me that older aggressive dogs are just not going to be completely trustworthy–ever, and that it is up to the owner to be very careful and essentially avoid the near occasions of sin (so to speak).

By: shibashake

shibashake — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:26:34 +0000

In reply to Kim L..

Heh, yeah that is a huge question – with a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ attached to it. I think for many people the answer would be that the person is more important than the dog.

Clearly, if the person gets disabled because of the pain, then everybody loses.

However, when considering this issue, the discussion/disagreement is usually around what “tried everything” means. Studies on conditioning tell us that most dogs, barring health issues, can be trained; *if* we have the will and the resources (time, money, etc.).

Most online threads that I have seen talks about the will of the owner. However, will alone is not sufficient. In these difficult times, it is frequently more an issue of resources rather than one of will.

By: Kim L.

Kim L. — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:01:43 +0000

Hi Shibashake! Just a little update on the famous Fred. His pulling became bad again, intractable little beast, and I went on the prowl again for remedies. I used an Easy Walk harness for just one outing, but I could tell that it was too small and was going to rub him raw in the armpits. I returned it. But the design had worked, so I am now using his regular old body harness, but I am attaching the leash at the chest/FRONT rather than at the back/top as most people do. This is eliminating 90% of his pulling because the resistance factor is now gone: you know, dogs instinctively pull forward with traditional collars or harnesses, like Alaskan sled dogs. The 10% that is not solved is still the prey drive–squirrels, of course, bikes, skate boards, runners, kids. But holding him back from these is somehow easier now on my arm with the front-attached leash. You bet I use a MUZZLE on Fred!

A big existential question arises for some of us dog owners: Is the life of an aggressive pet dog worth enough that we will endure our own human physical pain caused by it? The case would be that the dog would not be adoptable by anyone else owing to his aggressive nature. If a person had tried everything, all training methods and equipment, and the dog were still hurting her — arm, shoulder, back — would it be understandable to euthanize the dog? Huge question, no?